Blissful Moments
by MadeintheUS
Summary: A new baby proves to be exhausting but its the small moments as a family that they live for. At the moment this is just a one-shot, but later on there may be an addition to this.
1. Chapter 1

**Season 4 inspired me just a tad, so maybe I'm slowly but surely getting out of this writer's block.**

 **This contains** ** _no_** **spoilers in case you haven't watched the new season.**

 **I just felt a little domestic today. I started typing and this is what came about.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

The nights had been long and the days had been exhausting. If Piper could've stocked up on sleep before their bundle of joy arrived, she would have. Getting into a routine with a two week old seemed easy, nursing at specific times, napping throughout the day, until it didn't happen at the rate Piper wished it had. She felt as if she nursed every twenty minutes and swaddled every forty as she soothed the little girl. If it hadn't been for Alex's reassuring words and help during the night, Piper was sure she would have had a mental breakdown by day six.

Being a new parent was proving to be an intricate task, but she was loving it at the same time. The intoxicating smell upon Emily's soft crown was something from heaven, but the thing Piper loved most was watching her wife with their newborn. To watch Alex go from a badass, international drug salesman in prison to a sweet wife and loving mother that had a legal job as a manager at her own restaurant, had been something so utterly, exciting for Piper to watch. It made her love her wife that much more to see the brunette look at their daughter like she looked at Piper for all these years.

Alex had _had_ some hesitancy towards Emily when they first found out that Piper was pregnant. It had only taken two IVF attempts to be successful. The couple had initially been ecstatic, but the longer Alex had to let it sit in that she was about to be responsible for something so small and innocent, she feared she would be a fuck-up at parenting. Piper was quick to reassure her that they were in this together and that they would both be entering a whole new world when their baby was born. The day the doctor had revealed to them that they were having a little girl, it was if all of those hesitancies had washed away from Alex.

Piper was the opposite, she didn't exhibit any hesitancy until right before Emily made her appearance. They had been told at their appointment earlier that day that Piper would be induced in a week if Emily hadn't come by then. Alex was more excited than Piper had ever seen her that they were so close to their due date, but the blonde was starting to feel the opposite. The brunette never would have suspected anything if she hadn't read a journal entry that Piper had written inside the baby book they had started for their daughter. Alex was quick to communicate with her wife about her sudden hesitancies and encourage her just like Piper did for her. They were in this together.

When Emily had finally decided to make her way into the world, two days before Piper was scheduled to be induced, Alex never once strayed from Piper's side as they went through the eighteen hours of grueling labor together. Constant back rubs, pacing up and down the halls, and tears of pain, Alex was right there through it all. It had hurt Alex to see Piper in so much pain but as she stared at her wife she couldn't help but be proud of where they were and what they had overcome. Prison had done so much to both of them emotionally and physically, not to mention the eight years before prison, to be married, sitting in a delivery room awaiting the birth of their child was a blessing.

On the final push, as the doctor brought the wailing little girl up and onto Piper's chest, both women were speechless as tears rolled down their cheeks. Alex cut the umbilical cord separating their new bundle of joy, Emily, from her mother and was the first to hold her as they let her carry her to be checked and weighed. Since then, it seemed as if Piper had to pry the baby away from her wife just to feed her. The bond between the two was already unbreakable. Every cry, whimper, or twitch that happened, Alex was quickly at her side ready to soothe. Every groan, movement, or sigh, Alex was at Piper's side as she recovered.

"Mama's home." Piper whispered excitedly to the newborn as she stood gently bouncing her. Since moving to the suburbs from their Brooklyn brownstone, Piper constantly stood at the front door and looked out to watch the cars drive by and kids riding their bicycles up and down the street. The stars could actually be seen at night since there were was less smog or towering buildings impeding their line of vision. It was peaceful compared to the sirens and city noise that used to be right outside their front door.

It had been Alex's first day back to work, and both women had dreaded it. Piper was nervous about being with Emily by herself all day, and Alex didn't want to be away from Emily all day. There weren't any tears shed when the brunette backed out of the driveway that morning, and for that both women were thankful.

Alex's face broke into a wide grin as she got out of her car, and practically bounded towards the door.

"Hi, Al!"

Automatically the brunette threw down her satchel and practically lunged towards the newborn, gently taking her from her wife's arms. Smothering her in soft kisses, this had been the moment Alex impatiently waited for all day.

"Hi, Em." Alex cooed. "I missed you all day."

"What am I? Just a human cow?"

Alex chuckled as she looked up at her wife who was now sporting a slight pout. Her hair was in a messy bun, with wisps of hair falling out everywhere, while sporting a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt. With the bagginess of the shirt, you could barely tell Piper just gave birth two weeks ago.

"No, you're the mother of my child and you're my wife." The brunette grinned as she tightly, but not so tight she caused Piper any pain from squeezing her stomach, wrapped her free arm around her waist and placed a loving kiss upon her lips. "I missed you, too, Pipes."

"We missed _you_."

Alex placed another kiss upon her wife's lips before taking her by the hand and leading her and Emily into the living room to sit down. Piper could watch Alex with Emily all day everyday if it was possible, how gentle and loving she was with her was heartwarming. Their constant cuddle sessions were a sight for sore eyes.

The same could be said for Alex watching Piper with their daughter. Piper had a natural maternal instinct from the moment they found out they were pregnant.

Things had changed drastically for them. They used to be international lovers turned inmates and now they were parents. Their nights were spent nursing and changing diapers every couple of hours instead of clubbing at various locations around the world. Their mornings were spent snuggling in bed as a family, taking in each little thing their two week old did, instead of waiting in long shower lines and eating mush.

"This is the best thing about my day, coming home to you and your mommy."

Alex's whisper woke Piper from her small doze on her wife's shoulder. Emily's eyes were wide open as she slowly blinked up at her mama. The brunette had shifted the newborn to where she was laying one of her fore-arm as her head rested in her palm. Alex's other arm was resting on Piper's thigh. The swaddle Piper put Emily in earlier had been unraveled as Alex let her freely squirm about.

For Piper, seeing how obsessed Alex was with their daughter was freeing. Never in a million years did she think that they would be parents, but things change and people change. Most of all, anything can happen when there is nothing but love surrounding you.

* * *

 **Idk what this is tbh. Haha! I just wrote.**

 **I would have incorporated this with 'It Can Happen in an Instant' somehow but I couldn't wait. The itch to write had to be scratched.**

 **Just a one-shot. I may put some more domestic one-shots eventually. But for now it's just this one.**

 **I'd love to know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Insomnia really does get the best of me sometimes. I don't think I've slept a total of six hours in the past forty-eight hours so what better way to tough it out than write.**_

 _ **This is for all the people, not wanting my domestic writing to end, so when you get a little lonely. Just report here. Or reread 'It Can Happen in an Instant.' Whichever you choose.**_

* * *

 _ **Blissful Moments, Chapter 2**_

Dishes were piled up to the point they were going to spill out of the sink ,crash onto the floor, and break into a million tiny pieces. The take-out boxes had started to cover every inch of open space in the refrigerator. There were cheerios strung about the floor of the kitchen, some were even crumbled into a dust like substance after someone had absentmindedly crushed it with their feet. Sippy cups, and bottles of apple juice were string along the counter, just to be forgot about the second they were set there.

An ear infection tag teamed with a gruesome cold had proven to be the focal point in their lives the past two days. Emily mindlessly screamed despite what kind of comfort her parents provided. Her little fists were constantly scrunched up, her face was a deep shade of red, and her green eyes glistened from all the tears she had shed. Piper and Alex were running on less than three hours of sleep, in need of an actual shower, and were starting to feel themselves give up in defeat.

Getting the eight month old to take her medicine was a chore that definitely took two sets of hands. If they had been lucky enough to get half of the liquid in her mouth, it came right back out. Steaming showers did nothing to relax the infant. No matter how many times Piper quietly hummed as she held her child against her chest as she rocked in the rocking chair, the cries that sometimes diminished into pure fussiness never fully went away.

"Piper, maybe we just need to take her back to the doctor."

Alex's face was strong and determined but was now weary as she stood next to Piper's side of the bed, observing how Emily was still squirming around under her mother's hold. Sure, she had heard Emily cry a whole lot in the past eight months, but none of those cries compared to how heartbreaking this one was. Internally, Alex had an ache in her heart from how she couldn't help her child, but she tried, and she tried hard to keep a tough façade for Piper and Emily. They were new parents, things like this happened all the time, but her patience was wearing thin.

"Al." Piper's expression was exhausted and glum. "We can't just run to someone for help when something's wrong. Her fever has broken, that's a good sign. I think we're just dealing with the earache and the generally fussiness on top of that. Just be patient."

The brunette had to give it to her wife, she had expected Piper to be the one freaking out the second their baby got sick for the first time, but it was the complete opposite. Alex was sure she bounced her legs a million times before their doctor came into examine their daughter, eventually Piper had to place her hand firmly down on her wife's thigh to keep her from moving.

"Here." Piper handed over a small, yellow blanket with light pink polka dots. "Go put this in the dryer for five or ten minutes, and then bring it back."

"What're you doing?"

"We're gonna try something okay? Just go do that and bring it back."

At this point, Alex was willing to do anything to not see her little girl so uncomfortable. As she exited the master bedroom, she could faintly hear Piper whispering sweet nothings to Emily who was lying on top of her mother's chest.

"You need to get better, Em…You're making your mama sick." Piper pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's crown that was residence to blonde downy, hairs.

Ten minutes later, the older woman returned with a comfortably warm blanket. Piper proceeded to lay the blanket down flat, and swaddle Emily in the warmth. Alex watched in awe as Emily's cries immediately dissipated into small whimpers and fussiness. There were no more tears being shed.

Until, Piper started to walk towards the nursery, that's when it picked up again.

"Piper. Just put her in the car. This is enough."

"Alex." Piper turned around, giving the tall brunette a stern gaze and turned around to enter the nursery. Placing the infant in her crib, Piper readjusted to blanket to where it secure, and very simply walked out of the room and cracked the door enough to where she could still she Emily lying in her crib.

Sliding down the wall, with her knees tucked under her chin, Piper rested her head forward. Alex stood in awe at what Piper had just done. Her maternal instinct was telling her to go grab her baby, but the first step she took, she was stopped by Piper's hand coming in contact with her shin.

"Babies like heat, and the feeling of something being closely wrapped around them. It was just kind of a spur of the moment thing. If it doesn't work, we'll just keep trying. We can do this, Al." Piper grabbed Alex's hand who had now sunk down to the floor to sit beside her.

It took ten minutes for Emily to completely exhaust herself, but Piper hadn't noticed due to falling asleep on Alex's shoulder as they sat on the wood floor in the hall. No words could describe the relief she was feeling at how quiet their house seemed. The brunette peeked into Emily's room, and saw no movement coming from inside the crib. Maybe they really had won this battle.

"Parenting is simple. Don't let it outsmart you." Alex echoed the words her mother had preached to her ever since they had revealed Piper was pregnant with their little girl.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just a reminder, that I wrote this post-Litchfield, and I kept Diane alive, in case you haven't caught on.**_

 _ **Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

* * *

The terrible two's were definitely terrible, and they hadn't even reached her second birthday yet. In fact, they were two months, three days, six hours, and thirty minutes away from it, but who was counting?

The defiance, was very real between Emily and her parents. Her favorite word, 'no', was used even if she _did_ want the cheerios or juice cup being offered to her by Alex or Piper. The only person that the toddler constantly obeyed was her beloved Grandma Diane, who she thought was God. Alex would continually get irritated that her daughter would behave so well for Diane, and act like a maniac when she was at home.

Alex's mother was deemed 'The Baby Whisperer' during the week after Emily was born. She could get Emily to calm down when Alex and Piper thought that it was never ending, and had undoubtedly tried everything they could think of to calm their daughter down.

The older woman had traveled from New Jersey the minute her daughter had called and said Piper was indeed in labor. There had been 2 false labor visits earlier that week, but the third time was the charm and she was in the room to witness it all with tears streaming down her pale face.

Diane was so hands on with her grandchild, and willing to do whatever to help her daughter and daughter-in-law out. During the week she stayed, the house was cleaned from top to bottom, and not a smudge was left behind. Diane would keep Emily while her parents rested for a much needed snooze and helped with middle of the night feedings. It had brought tears to Piper's eyes to see Diane, Alex, and Emily sitting on the couch gazing at the newborn while she slept. If you hadn't of known, and Diane's hair was jet black, you would've thought that Alex and Diane were sisters. It was such a heartwarming sight and the grandmother was practically glowing due to how ecstatic she was about her grandbaby.

"How does she do it?" Alex mused from where she was sitting on the back porch of her mother's New Jersey home, smiling as she watched her daughter squeal as her grandmother sat in the grass blowing bubbles.

With a smug grin, Piper snuggled a little bit closer into her wife as they sat on the couch swing.

"I think if she handled you for all those years, she can handle our little monster."

Emily wasn't a monster, and the behavior she exhibited was completely normal for a child her age. She had been a very easy baby throughout her twenty two months. In fact, Alex had never had a better hug better than the ones her daughter gives her. The two and a half foot toddler, with piercing green eyes, and dirty blonde hair that could go into the cutest pigtails, had a smile that could light up the whole universe and a giggle that would be music to any person's ears. Emily never failed to put a smile on her parent's face, despite how sour of a mood they were in.

Alex shoved Piper's knee as she laughed, raising her glasses to the top of her head. Internally, she was grateful Piper had convinced her to take a weekend off and come visit her mother. Work had been causing a lot of stress for the brunette and this was just the thing she needed; sitting around her mother's house enjoying the time with her family.

"She was a handful alright." Diane chimed in from where she was now standing and making her way over towards the two women, leaving Emily to roam around the semi-spacious backyard, occasionally chasing Diane's golden retriever, Ben. "Emily reminds me exactly of how Alex was when she was that age."

Alex rolled her eyes and giggled. Emily did have some very Alex-like traits. When she would get upset or frustrated, she would start to huff about and her cheeks would puff out. Her little eyebrow would raise when she heard something that caught her attention. Piper wasn't sure how many pictures she had captured of that little face so she could compare it to her wife's.

Sitting down across from the pair, the elder Vause continued.

"Alex always had to have her way at that age, and was very determined. Exactly how that one is." She pointed towards the toddler who had become infatuated with a small, blue ball. "She also listens to me, unlike _you_ did."

Piper giggled as she watched her wife blush at the conversation of her younger years. Things had been rough between Diane and Alex after she got out of prison, but it was mostly the younger Vause's conscience that led her to believe things would be different between her and her mother. Alex had felt so ashamed of herself, but Diane didn't judge, she simply opened her arms, and told her how she felt in a calm, cool, and collected tone. The elder Vause believed that Alex had been punished enough between being in prison and the first time she had visited her daughter in the cold, concrete building. The first visit had been the worst of them all, but they had gotten better as her sentence drug on.

"She listens to you, because you're constantly buying her things."

"What kind of grandmother would I be, if I didn't buy my grandbaby gifts?"

Diane could get Emily to eat her whole meal without it ending up splattered all over the floor, Alex could not, but Piper sometimes could depending on what she feeding the little girl.

Diane could get Emily to agree to "rest" on the couch during her scheduled nap time and not make a peep or move an inch, Piper could not. The only reason Alex could, was because she bribed her with countless hours of Sesame Street or a piece of candy after her nap. Piper didn't believe in bribing unless it was absolutely necessary.

"It's a grandmother's touch" Diane would always say, and Alex could never figure out what made her touch so different from hers or Piper's.

The three women continued to reminisce and laugh about Alex's toddler years until Diane heard the over timer ding, signaling that their homemade chicken pot pie was ready.

"Go get my grandbaby, and come eat." Diane playfully shoved Alex as she walked past her and into the house. Emily was now sitting near the back fence gently petting Ben's fur. He was so gentle with her, and would wait patiently to get up as she crawled all over him.

"Em." Piper yelled as she and Alex simultaneously stood up, linking their fingers together. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

Diane could be heard laughing from inside the backdoor.

Alex ended up having to chase after their child for a moment before she finally grabbed her and pulled in to blow raspberries on the little girl's neck, evoking a chain of high pitched squeals and giggles.

The second the family, walked inside, Diane took her granddaughter from Alex and placed her in the highchair next to the dining room table.

"Are you hungry? I heard this tummy rumbling while we were playing outside."

The grandmother tickled Emily's tummy, causing another string of giggles to escape. Diane's hair was still the same bright red it had been all those years ago when Piper had first met her and she looked as if she hadn't aged at all.

"Yes." The toddler chirped. Piper removed her shirt, due to how messy she tended to get when eating.

Alex laid her head down on the table slightly shaking it, causing Piper and Diane to double over in laughter.

* * *

 **A/N: Feeling a tad bit domestic this weekend.**

 **Cheers.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

* * *

Watching Emily grow and thrive was the grandest sight Piper or Alex had ever seen. It didn't even compare to the breathtaking sights they had seen from their travels. The once defiant little girl was growing more and more independent each and every day and had started to insist on helping with small tasks such as folding small wash cloths and putting away books and toys she had strung out over the house. There had been discussions about adding a second child to their family in hopes they would be just as perfect as Emily was, but after three failed attempts at IVF, the pair had decided that they were content with just their one.

"Put your hand like this." Alex laughed as she sat on the floor of their suburban living room, teaching her three year old how to pose like a rock star. Family pictures from recent holidays were sitting on the window sill as rain slid down the glass behind it, flashes of lightning could be seen through the crack in the curtains. A pallet of old blankets and pillows were strung out next to the couch that was also plastered with pillows and blankets. "You almost got it, just put your little thumb on top of these two fingers."

Emily was content on just sitting in her mother's lap, listening to Vince Neil belt out every Motley Crue song that came out through the stereo's speakers. Alex knew what made her daughter happy, and that was dancing around the living room to any tune but there wasn't a whole lot of that going on considering she was just getting over a nasty stomach virus. It had reminded the brunette of when she took care of her wife, then girlfriend, in Java after coming down with a bout of food poisoning when they had first started dating, except Emily didn't have an audience like her mother did. The toddler had proven to be just like Piper was; she wanted to be held close, and have her tummy rubbed as the virus wreaked havoc on her little body.

Forty eight hours were spent laying on the floor of the bathroom, living room, and kitchen hoping the next bout would land somewhere other than their new carpet they had just put in two weeks ago. Piper and Alex luckily hadn't come down with the virus due to the blonde's extensive research on the internet on how to prevent catching it. So far with the holistic remedies she had found, neither woman had even felt as much as a twinge of nausea rumbling around their stomachs.

At first Alex had declined any type of precautionary measure saying, "It's all a mental game. If you tell yourself you're gonna get sick, you're gonna get sick." She stuck to that proudly for all of about two hours until Emily had gotten sick as they were laying on the couch. Piper had just laughed as she watched her wife stealthily hold their child over a bucket nearby and then carry her to the bathroom at an arm's length away.

Having a child had really softened Alex up to a point that Piper had never even seen. Even when they were cooped up in all those hotel rooms, just them, for days at a time, the blonde had never seen Alex be so extremely loving and gentle until their daughter was born. Of course, Alex had her moments with Piper where she left herself vulnerable, but you had to catch her at just the right time.

"Does your tummy hurt?" The brunette bent her head down and nuzzled the toddler's golden locks that just reached her shoulders, eventually pressing her cheek to Emily's forehead, finding no trace of a fever.

"Woah, yeah, B-B-B-Babbbbyyy." The toddler mumbled as she shook her head no and proudly held up her rocker symbol with her left hand and held down her thumb with her right to ensure she was mirroring her mama. Thanks to all the time the toddler had spent with her Grandma Diane and the afternoon play time sessions she had with her mama until Piper got home from Popi, Emily could sing seventy five percent of Motley Crue's 'Kickstart My Heart'.

Thankfully, it had been about twenty four hours since Emily last felt bad, but you could still tell from her lack of appetite and wanting to be close to her parents that she was still feeling a bit under the weather. Alex had been kind enough to stay home with the toddler today so Piper could get to a meeting with a potential investor. She would take off every day if she could to be with her wife and child.

A jingle of the lock, and the muttering of curse words broke Alex away from the musical moment she and Emily were having. Piper had arrived home.

"Mommy?" Emily quickly stood up and craned her head towards the front door. "Mommy's home!"

The blonde soon emerged from the entrance way, soaked from head to toe, leaving a trail of water behind her, and a puddle where she stood.

"Hi, baby!" Piper cheered as she shed her raincoat, and shoes near the front door."

"Forget your umbrella today, babe?" Alex chortled as she moved back closer to the couch.

"Fu- Forget you." Piper tried to be serious but failed as she felt her daughter attempting to climb up her leg to be held. "Hi, sweetie. Do you feel okay?"

Emily quickly nodded, oblivious to how drenched her mother was. "Look what I learned to do."

The toddler quickly placed her fingers in the right places and showed Piper what Alex had taught her, this time even sticking her tongue out just a tad, something that Alex hadn't even showed her.

"Wow, you're a rock star!"

Piper beamed at her daughter, pleased to see that she was starting to feel like herself again. It was hell not seeing her large grin or animated giggle for two days while she laid around in misery.

"I didn't even teach her that part! I swear!" Alex laughed as she leaned back against the foot of the couch, admiring how the pair looked almost identical. "She's a natural. She was born to be part of a rock band."

The two blondes laughed and walked further into the living, sitting down right next to the brunette.

"Did she have any more trouble today?" Piper asked as she let the toddler up to grab her sippy cup from the coffee table.

"Nope." Alex shook her head. "Just napped and stayed hydrated. Ate a few bites of applesauce and toast. And we've listened to music all day, so that's about it."

"Good." Piper scooted closer to her wife, intertwining their fingers. Both were mentally and physically exhausted after the past three days. Emily wasn't sick very often, but when she was, it was all hands on deck. They had worked out a routine that worked quite well for them when it came to sicknesses, and it helped that both of them weren't afraid to be so hands on.

"Where's my kiss hello?"

Piper grinned and leaned over to place a tender, but short kiss upon her wife's lips.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought. I literally just typed this in an hour, so I'm not expecting it to be great.**

 **I'm still working on 'Strangers & Ladyloves', and also 'For Better or For Worse', I'm just lacking the motivation to write for extended periods like I was. Hopefully soon one of the two will be updated, shooting for the Teenage fic, but we'll see. **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

* * *

"I can hear her coming down the hall, stop."

Piper, who had been softly crying for the last ten minutes to her wife, quickly dried her tears and put on a wide grin for her four year old who had just walked through the threshold and into their bedroom. A bright grin, possibly showing every single one of her teeth, was plastered upon Emily's face as she climbed up onto Piper's side of the bed, making herself comfortable in between her parents.

"Hi, sweetie!" Piper cooed, as she pulled her child in just a little bit closer, relishing in the fact that today was the first day of something she had told herself she was ready for but had quickly found out she wasn't. "You're already dressed!"

Playing dumb, Alex pressed a kiss to her daughter's temple, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Preschool, Momma!" Emily shouted. The four year old hadn't stopped talking about this day for two weeks now, ever since she had went with her parents to register and meet her teacher.

Alex testing the four year old, prodded on, attempting to get a rise out of the young girl, "I don't think babies go to preschool…I don't even think preschool is real."

" _Momma!"_ Emily's beaming façade went to a more serious one, and her little eyebrow shot up, a total Alex characteristic she had obviously learned in her four years of life. "I'm _not_ a baby. I'm four. Four year olds go to preschool because we're _big_."

It took everything Piper had to hold in the sob that was threatening to escape, and it was like Alex knew what she was refraining from doing because suddenly she felt her wife's hand inching closer to hers under their pillows, and eventually landing on top of each other, squeezing in the slightest to let Piper know she was there and everything would be okay as they started this new and educational adventure.

"What's pre-school? Mommy do you know what pre-school is? I've never heard of it!" Alex laughed as she noticed her daughter had put her pink, frilly dress on backwards. Dressing herself had been fantastic so far, but dresses were still a slight struggle. Emily had had her outfit picked out for the past week, occasionally changing her mind for the yellow sundress, but she always ended up sticking with her first choice. Piper and Alex had never met someone so young that took every variable into consideration about any decision. The young girl was only going to preschool for four hours, but you would think she was going on the first date with her future husband. Alex constantly reminded Piper that those qualities were completely WASP-y and _had_ to come from her.

"I've never heard of such a thing! I think you're silly." Piper whispered, because if she had used a louder tone of voice, her emotions would have come flowing out and wouldn't have stopped. That lump in her throat was just _begging_ to be released.

Emily animatedly giggled, snuggling closer to Piper who wished she didn't have to get out of this bed with her wife and child, and just lay there for all eternity, basking in how good the feeling was to be surrounded with lots of love and endless streams of laughter.

She wished she didn't have to go to work and sit through a meeting about sales revenue and promoting product because she knew, the whole time she would be thinking about her baby and how she was doing

And she wished that she could somehow be there with Emily all day, to protect her from whatever dangers of preschool there were and to ensure her first day of preschool was _perfect_.

* * *

"Hi, Emily!" Her teacher, a short, brown-haired woman, named Ms. June, excitedly welcomed them at the door. Children could be seen playing at different centers around the brightly decorated classroom.

Emily, who had now turned into a nervous wreck, had a silent tear gliding down her pale cheek, as she stood clinging to the bottom of Piper's navy floor-length dress. The moment Alex had retrieved her from her car seat, the nerves hit full force for the preschooler because of how _new_ this was.

Piper knelt down to be at a more comfortable level with her child, letting her arm rub up and down her back. Her heart broke to see her daughter now a nervous wreck and not her usual, outgoing, bubbly self.

"Can you say hi to your teacher?"

The young blonde, whose hair had been braided into a long fish tail like braid, hid her face deep into Piper's shoulder and mumbled a soft hello.

"I don't wanna go anymore."

If Piper had her choice, she would agree with her daughter, and they would go home, but this was only the start of their thirteen year journey of schooling, not including if Emily chose to go to college. Her heart ached to hear Emily not be excited anymore, but this was what had been decided, and Piper had to encourage herself to stay firm.

"You have to go, baby." Piper nuzzled her daughter's cheek in the slightest to get her attention, not caring that other parents were having a much smoother drop off with their children who happily sauntered into the classroom.

"Look at all those puzzles, Em." Alex smoothed her hand over her child's head, attempting to help her wife soothe the preschooler.

"We even have play-doh planned for today, and we even just put a new kitchen playset in for you guys." The teacher had obviously seen this happen many times before, and was determined to make the environment not only welcoming but enticing also.

"That sounds so fun, babe." Piper forced a grin on her face, even though the sullen look on her little girls face was making her feel like the worst parent for forcing her to go to preschool. "You're gonna have an awesome, day, and before you know it, momma and I will be here to pick you up and we'll go get ice cream to celebrate your first day…Okay?"

Ms. June placed a warm hand on Emily's shoulder, "Would you like me to show you your hook for your backpack and where your cubby is? I heard there's a surprise waiting for everyone there."

Emily looked back at Piper, and up at Alex, noticing their encouraging faces. She silently nodded, taking hold of her teacher's hand.

"Would you like to say goodbye to your parents?"

Piper didn't even give her daughter enough time to think about an answer. She quickly lunged forward and placed her arms around her little torso, kissing her cheek, and whispering a quiet "I love you." Before she knew it, Alex was tapping her on the shoulder requesting her turn.

"Look at me." Alex knelt down and grabbed hold of her little one's hand, remembering how small it used to be. "You're gonna have a great day, and grandma Diane is gonna be waiting by the phone to hear all about it, so make sure it's good, okay?"

This got a smile out of Emily, one that made both her parents smile right back.

"I love you." Alex hugged her child, and allowed her teacher to walk her into the classroom, closing the door behind them.

The brunette allowed her wife to look through the window for just a minute, not wanting to distract Emily, before she gently started to pull her away.

"Come on, Pipes."

"Alex…" Piper had tried to hold it in as long as she could, but the moment they stepped out of that preschool, the tears had quickly returned with a vengeance.

The brunette didn't even need to know what Piper needed. They were less than twenty feet from their car, but she stopped and wrapped her wife up as tight as she could. In all honesty, a part of Alex was empty not having their little girl with them. It was different leaving her at a new place for just a few mere hours, but she understood this was what was best. Piper had even opted to homeschool through workbooks and flashcards for pre-school, but after a few long discussions, both agreed Emily needed to go to have that social interaction with children her age.

"It's okay, Pipes." The brunette ran a gentle hand up and down Piper's back that was clothed with a jean-jacket. "She's gonna have a great day, and we'll be here right at one to pick her up. That's only four hours away."

"Her teacher doesn't know she needs a million kisses or snuggles throughout the day or that she likes her sandwich cut up into little triangles. She's just a baby, Al, she's not ready…I have to go back and get her." Piper attempted to break Alex's hold, but her wife pulled her in even closer.

"Pipes…Babe…We're the ones that aren't ready, she totally is ready for this. She's smart, she's so independent, and kind…" Alex cupped the younger woman's cheeks, wiping away her tears with the pads of her thumbs. "We gotta rip the Band-Aid off sometime."

Alex was right. Emily wasn't just a warm bundle that laid her arms anymore, but a smart, and determined _preschooler_. Piper had vowed to herself after she had Emily that she wouldn't be neglectful of her child like her parents were, but she also vowed she wouldn't be a hover parent either.

After a few more moments in the warm embrace, Piper finally composed herself, but not before turning and looking at the door of the school one more time. She knew deep down in her heart that Emily was going to have a _great_ first day.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews for this story. It's probably my favorite to write at the moment.**

 **If you haven't caught on, each chapter is a year later, and will most likely end at the end of high school/ beginning of college.**

 **Cheers.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

They knew it was bound to happen eventually, despite how kind and well-behaved Emily was. She knew exactly what buttons to push and what faces to make to get herself out of any kind of harmless mischief. A pout of the lower lip or flash of the two dimples, each perfectly placed on the corners of her mouth seemed to melt both parents to the point they couldn't stand the cuteness and let her off the hook.

More often than not, it was the raven-haired woman that found herself giving in, and her wife couldn't help but sit back and laugh. Piper had expected this to happen from the moment she gave birth to their little girl. The second Alex had held their daughter for the first time, she knew her former drug dealer, ex-con turned successful restaurant manager wife was smitten, and five years later she still was, more so than she was before. Emily had always had Alex wrapped around her little finger, and Piper found it so endearing to watch the two communicate or snuggle before bed. Their relationship was so impenetrable, and just from one glance you could tell that Alex loved and adored Emily endlessly.

Alex and Piper constantly wondered if they were being too easy on their four, soon to be five year old. But then again, she never gave them any reason to correct her behavior. Of course there was the occasional tantrum, and what seemed like near constant whining, but the parents had seem to grow immune to it, along with using a moderate amount of selective hearing.

 _But today was different._

When Piper had heard an audible cry grow closer and closer to the kitchen, she was surprised to see her wife leading their daughter by the hand in to the kitchen. Automatically the blonde had thought the little girl was sick or had hurt herself, but after Alex had explained what was going on, Piper quickly understood. There was no reason to get involved, especially since Alex had been the one to find the "artwork", but Piper silently prayed that Alex would be able to hold it together long enough to get the point across to their daughter that was she did was not okay.

"Mama." Sobs were racking the child's body so hard she was to the point of making herself sick. Neither Alex nor Piper had seen her cry this hard since she had woken up from her small procedure she had done to place tubes in her ears three months ago. The little girl attempted to stand up from where she was sitting on the rug in front of the refrigerator, her blue eyes shining bright from the tears and purple marker smeared across her hands.

Alex was sitting cross-legged in front of her while Piper continued to observe from afar as she peeled a bag of potatoes, a slight smirk on her face. The blonde wasn't smirking because her child had received her first timeout in her almost five years of life, but because she could see Alex physically and emotionally withering away as she reinforced the punishment. The woman who once swept everything under the rug not to be dealt with unless necessary, was struggling to keep it together because she didn't like what she was having to do to her child.

Alex feared the worst from this timeout. She didn't want these timeouts to become a regular occurrence, but she also wanted to assist her daughter in learning right from wrong, even if she did have to be painted as the bad guy every now and then no matter how much it broke her heart.

"Emily, please sit down." Alex was trying to stand firm but keep a kind tone as she gently pushed her daughter back into a seated position on the rug. The little girl was looking at Alex as if she had torn her favorite doll to pieces, the same look that had been on her face for the past two minutes. The brunette suspected she'd be seeing that face for the rest of the week after the next two minutes passed and the timeout would be complete.

It hurt Alex to do this, but when she walked into her daughter's room to find purple marker scribbled across the wall next to the small table where she sat and colored, she knew that this wasn't something that could be overlooked. She and Piper had been through this once a few months ago, and simply made Emily wash the few crayons marks off the wall along with no coloring the rest of the weekend, but this time, the wall had turned into a full blown canvas for purple lines, dots, and what looked like the beginnings of stick figures.

To see the plethora of tears streaming down her child's face from the guilt she was feeling, broke her heart into a million pieces because no parent ever _wants_ to punish their child, but it's a part of growing up and guiding them through life.

"I'm-. I'm sorry, mama." Emily blubbered, reaching for Alex for a hug, but was redirected back towards the floor once again. Alex knew that was her way of apologizing, but she also knew that any kind of reciprocated affection would give Emily the idea that affection would always get her out of this particular situation.

"One more minute." Alex found herself struggling to keep herself together as she finally took her eyes off her daughter and looked to her wife who was looking on with sympathy. "If you try to get up again, we have to start the time over."

If this hadn't of been Emily's first timeout, the time would've restarted two times. Alex knew that sitting in front of her daughter wasn't necessarily giving her the space to think about what she did, but with the girl having not had any timeout experience, this first came with a small amount of guidance.

"Mommy." Emily turned to Piper, holding out her arms to be held, tears beginning to stream faster down her face. Small children have no understanding of time, and Emily thought that four minutes was a lifetime.

"Sorry, Em. I can't help you. We have to learn that actions have consequences."

 _"You can do it."_ Piper mouthed as she walked past her wife, brushing a loving hand over her head as she passed, and walked out of the room to retrieve a ringing phone. Alex could faintly hear her wife greeting her mother-in-law.

After the initial first day jitters, Emily had adjusted quite well to being in preschool and interacting with children her own age. One thing both parents had noticed about Emily after attending preschool for nearly six months now, was that she had not only become more aware of the emotions people around her were exhibiting or feeling, but she was starting to delve deeper into the understanding of how her own actions and emotions played an important part about how she felt about herself.

The final seconds were the worst for both Alex and Emily, they just couldn't seem to tick by fast enough. When Alex finally told Emily she could get up, the girl continued to sit there sniveling and rubbing her face. A sense of relief washed over Alex, but that feeling was quickly replaced by guilt.

Grabbing her daughter's small hand, Alex was happy to see that Emily didn't pull away.

"Hey...Look at me, please." The little girl glanced at her mother, but wouldn't look her in the face directly. "Are you ready to get up?"

Emily huffed a little bit and collected herself before nodding her head confidently. Her blonde hair slightly matted to her face from the amount of tears shed.

"I really like it when you color me and mommy pictures, but we can't color on the walls or else we'll have to do this again. Do you understand? "

Emily nodded and moved her hair out of her eyes. "I clean it up."

Alex smiled, happy that something had stuck between this time and the last one. It gave her a little bit of hope that her parenting was having a positive effect on her child's development.

"Thank you for sitting here the whole time...Give me a hug and I'll get the rag for you okay?"

Emily automatically stood and wrapped her arms around her mama, almost knocking her over with the force. The hug was reassuring Alex that there wasn't a rift between her and her daughter.

When Emily finally broke the hug and walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, Alex leant her head back on the island.

 _She had survived._

Breaking her from her moment of peace, she could her Pipers voice growing closer.

"Here babe, Diane wants to make sure you got through that okay." Piper handed her wife the phone and giggled while reaching down to place a lingering kiss to Alex's forehead. The brunette slid over a little and opened the rag drawer, handing one to her wife.

" _Hi, Mom."_ Alex smiled.

As Piper wet the rag and walked out of the kitchen, she could hear Diane explaining that what Alex did was the right thing and that she was more worried about Alex making it through than Emily.

The blonde could only imagine what the next few years had in store for Emily and her growing self.

* * *

A/N: I originally had this written as a scene between Alex and Ellie in 'For Better or For Worse', but I have been wanting to update this since it has been nearly four months since the last update. I'm terribly sorry about that.

Also, I do understand that timeout is not for every child and it may not be a punishment you believe in. So disclaimer, I'm not preaching timeouts. In my opinion, they only work for some.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 7**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

The first day of Kindergarten came and went before the family of three even noticed. Both doors and the open side of the stainless-steel refrigerator were covered in Emily's intricate artwork and exemplary worksheets. Unlike her first day of pre-school, the now five year old's first day of kindergarten was tear less and full of excited smiles. It took three attempts to keep the child still as she posed for her picture outside of their front door before they drove the few blocks to her elementary school.

Emily's first sick day was a dramatic day for the little girl. She believed that if she missed a day she wouldn't be able to go back or she would miss out on what number comes after one hundred. She feared she wouldn't get to share her teddy bear for show and tell, and she worried that she would miss someone shooting milk from their nose while laughing too hard.

Emily's first time having to change her color from green to yellow on the behavior chart seemed like the world was ending. When the girl's parents looked in the rearview mirror of their sedan and asked why she had to change her color, her response of " _I was talking too much during story time"_ caused Alex to bite her lip until she tasted blood and them immediately exiting their car to let out the laughs that had quickly bubbled to the surface. Piper on the other hand, was left to send the little girl to timeout and then she joined her wife in the kitchen, lightly slapping her arm because she knew there were parallels being drawn between her and her daughter. Emily had always been a talker like Piper. Piper constantly had to talk herself through whatever she was doing, and found that Emily had similar tendencies. Alex often found it amusing to listen to her daughter chat while doing her simple homework of tracing her name or drawing lines to match two numbers. The blue eyed, blonde couldn't help it. She liked to chat.

Emily's first field trip to a local dairy farm was an emotional one for her mother. Piper had been away at conference with Polly, leaving Alex to be the parent to volunteer with the class. There had been a multitude of pictures sent and a long phone conversation of how she got to milk a cow and pet a baby calf. Alex had sat back and laughed quietly to herself as she listened to Piper snivel over the phone over missing the first of many field trips.

But today's first was _different_.

Today was Emily's first time away from her parents for a prolonged period of time.

It was their wedding anniversary, and Emily couldn't understand why she couldn't go with them. She couldn't understand why her Grandma Diane was the one who would be taking her and picking her up from school for the next five days. She couldn't understand why it was Grandma Diane who was tucking her into bed and reading her a bedtime story instead of Alex. She couldn't understand why it was Grandma Diane who was making her lunchbox in the mornings instead of Piper. It just didn't make sense.

"Grandma?"

"Yes, baby?" Diane looked up at her only grandchild with that loving smile that constantly adorned her face from where she was going through Emily's backpack searching for any important announcements or permission slips. It felt odd to the older woman, she hadn't done anything like that since _her_ baby was that young, but it brought a warm feeling to her heart knowing she was so involved in her grandchild's life.

"How many days until my mommy's come home?"

Diane smirked with that smirk that only a Vause could perfect. She knew Emily was having some separation anxiety and was going to continue until they settled into their own little routine.

"Look here." The grandmother shuffled towards the refrigerator and pointed to a calendar she had illustrated while her grandchild had been at school. She knew these questions were going to pop up at least two times a day. "While you were at school today, I made this calendar. Today's Monday." She pointed to the corresponding boxes on the paper. "And your parents come home Sunday. Let's count how many days, okay?"

The two counted together until they reached five days and Emily let out a small huff about having no real sense of time, and trudged out of the kitchen. All Diane could do was laugh as she walked back over to her previous task and prayed she could keep her grandchild entertained until her parents came home.

The nightly talks on the phone while Alex and Piper were in Cambodia did nothing to appease the five year old. First the calls started out talking about school and what she and her grandma had been up to, but they always ended in small sniffles and pouts. It broke the parent's hearts that their little girl was struggling with her parents being so far away, but this time was serving good purpose for them and they knew they had to let go every now and then.

The last two days seemed to be the longest for Diane and Emily, especially since it was the weekend and there wasn't school to keep the child occupied. The two had spent the week cooking, baking, decorating for Christmas, and also decorating for when the parents returned home. Each day, Emily seemed to perk up a little bit more than the previous day, but Diane made sure to get those giggles and smiles out of her granddaughter every day.

When Alex and Piper walked through the door late Sunday night, they were automatically attacked by a small yet strong pair of arms wrapping around their lower half's and a happy string of giggles filling the air.

The first things out of Emily's mouth as she broke away from her mother's were,

"Can Grandma Diane move in with us?"

* * *

A/N: *waves


	8. Chapter 8

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 8**_

 ** _Enjoy._**

* * *

Summers were what the family looked forward to. Times where they could bask in the warmness of the season and spend time together. Emily was off from school, and Alex received her two week vacation where they spent one week at home lounging in their pajamas, and the next week in a new location that was somewhere other than New York. This summer, the parents had exposed their five year old to the wonderful world of Disney, and they were sure they'd never get tired of their little one constantly reminiscing on that week.

It was their weekend routine, even when Alex wasn't on vacation. Each Saturday morning they would wake up and walk the five blocks to the local Farmer's Market, basking in the crisp, organic freshness and homemade goodies. Alex loved to watch her wife pick up each piece of produce and inspect it for the smallest dimple or discoloration before either putting it back and picking another piece or setting it gently in her cloth bag. Piper loved to watch Alex carry their soon to be six year old on her back, occasionally reaching her arm around and tickling her side, evoking the sweetest of giggles from her mouth.

"Mommy!" Just from the tone in Emily's voice, both parents knew that something had caught their daughter's eye. They didn't even have to look at what it was, they could hear the small barks and yaps from the other end of the market, and they had only hoped their little girl would continue to walk past. But they should've known better, what five year old wasn't attracted to puppies? "Look at this puppy. Can we get it?"

The puppy Emily was pointing at was a chubby ball of golden fluff, excitedly jumping as she knelt down at the edge of the pen to pet him through the wire fence.

"Sweetie, do you know how much responsibility and time goes into taking care of a puppy?" Piper knelt down next to her daughter, trying to catch her attention, but it just kept roaming back to the puppy that was attempting to gnaw his way through the fence. "Maybe when you get a little bit older. Okay?"

"But mommy." Automatically the five year olds, lip jutted out and the puppy dog eyes were upon the blonde. Alex stood back and watched the pair, it was a sight she saw often. It was basically Piper versus Little Piper. Both were stubborn and always had to have the last word. The brunette could only imagine what this scene might look like when their daughter hit her teenage years.

"Emily…Not right now. Okay? When you get a little older we can talk about getting a puppy." Piper stood back up, latching on to her wife's fingers, squeezing in hopes that Alex might add something to put a little more force behind her last statement.

Soon the owner of the puppies approached the parents and their child, encouraging the five year old to come in and bond with the puppies. Emily had happily waltzed through the gate that had been opened up for her and went straight for the golden retriever that had caught her eye previously.

"That one's name is Bailey. He's just over eight weeks old." The owner smiled down at the sight of all of her puppies swarming the little girl, begging for attention.

"Look at how happy she is, babe?" Alex gestured her hand towards her daughter as she stood next to her wife just outside where the pen was stationed at the end of the farmer's market.

"I know, Al. But like I said, a puppy is a huge responsibility. I don't want us to get one and her only like him for a few weeks and then the newness wears off, leaving us to take on all the responsibility."

"Come on Pipes, you didn't have a dog growing up?" Alex narrowed her eyes down at her wife, a smirk spreading across her face. She could see the sun was bring out the freckles across her wife's nose, a small quirk she secretly loved about her wife. "It's kind of the parents job to _show_ the kid how to take care of a dog the right way before they pass some responsibility on to them…And I think it would be good for her."

"Alex your stray dog that you found behind your house and kept for three weeks does not count as a childhood pet." The blonde pointedly looked at her wife before glancing back down at her child who was now happily sitting in the middle of the pen, Bailey in her lap, and other puppies begging for attention at her sides. "Maybe we should start out with something smaller? I agree with teaching her responsibility, but I feel a dog is too big to start off with."

"She kept my feet warm when I laid in bed." A small chortle left Alex's mouth as she shrugged. "What about a fish? You liked that fish we won by playing that balloon popping dart game at that carnival in Brooklyn. That was one of our first _official_ dates."

"That fish died two days later because of our lack of responsibility." Piper giggled at the memory of the simple goldfish sitting on Alex's counter happily swimming around in the vase she had put it in, and then they found it belly up at the top of the makeshift tank. "But to answer your question, no, I didn't have a dog. My mother was very anti-pets. She thought they smelled and shed far too much."

"I can see where you get it from then." The brunette mumbled, just loud enough for her wife to hear.

Piper wrapped her arm around her wife, pinching her side with the tips of her fingernails, causing her to suddenly inhale. "Jesus, Pipes."

"In a few years we can talk about getting a dog, but she's still a baby, Al."

"She's not a baby, Pipes." Alex giggled at her wife's word and the sight of her little girl trying to pet all the golden retrievers at once. "And I'd say we have a great sense of responsibility considering we've raised our child thus far without any hiccups."

Piper didn't have a rebuttal to that.

"Mama, tell Mommy we can get him." Emily stood up from where she was seated, causing Bailey and the other puppies in the litter to follow her to the gate. "See, he followed me over here. That means he likes me."

Alex looked to Piper who was giving her that knowing gaze, and then back down to her daughter. She was practically looking at the exact same face. She could either have an angry wife or an angry child.

This time she decided to play it safe. Emily had given her parents the silent treatment for two hours until she asked for her morning snack, and even then the child was short. Each time one of her parents would walk to the front door, she had that small inkling of hope that maybe her parents had changed their mind, but that thought never came true.

…

Two weeks went by since they saw Bailey the first time, and Alex found herself constantly thinking about the puppy and how much her little one wanted it. It had thrilled Emily each weekend when she saw that Buddy was still sitting in the pen next to his brothers and sisters, although some of his siblings had been adopted. But each weekend she was faced with the same conflict as she sat on the grass surrounded by puppies, both parents still wouldn't give in.

Alex attempted to work on her wife constantly, but Piper was still adamant in her decision.

The brunette thought about Emily growing up with Bailey, forming that strong bond that every child has with their childhood pet. She didn't want her child to miss out on that opportunity. Alex wanted her child to have that companion that she experienced everything with as she grew up.

That's why after they had visited the puppy three weeks in a row, Alex allowed Emily and Piper to walk ahead before she asked the owner if she could pick Bailey up at his home later in the week. The owner had happily agreed, and was thrilled to see that the family was adopting the puppy they had so eagerly bonded with for the past three weeks.

…

Emily had been at a gymnastics day camp when Alex had traveled the twenty minutes to retrieve the dog. She had even stopped at a pet store along the way and picked up the essentials and planned on bringing her little one later on to pick out a few more things for her puppy.

Ultimately, Alex knew her wife would most likely be upset that she hadn't discussed this decision to adopt the puppy, but then again, Alex couldn't resist those baby blue puppy dog eyes she had been receiving daily for the past three weeks. She knew this would all be worth it.

Luckily for the brunette, when she walked into the kitchen with Bailey walking close by on a leash, Piper wasn't that surprised to see the puppy. At first she smirked, giving Alex a little bit of hope that she wouldn't get the wrath of her wife, and she didn't. Piper had simply shook her head, not really knowing what to say to her lover, but soon found herself melting into Bailey's eyes, just like she did with her daughter's.

Emily had been ecstatic upon walking into the living room and finding Bailey curled up in his new bed at the end of the couch. For days, the small girl begged to have the golden retriever sleep in her room, but the parents denied that request fearing she wouldn't get any sleep with her puppy in the room. The child had even been eager to help train her Bailey, and had gotten good at giving positive reinforcement for the smallest things.

Over the first four weeks the family had Bailey, it truly showed that he belonged with this family of three. It was like the sibling Emily never had. They bickered, and they made up fifteen minutes later. They laid on the floor watching whatever may be playing on their television. They cried together when they didn't get the dinner they had been wishing for. Emily included the golden retriever in every single thing they did. The dog even grew on Piper, although it took her some time to admit it. Many times Alex found her wife curled up on the couch deep into her book with Bailey curled into her side snoozing peacefully, proving the growing relationship between the two.

It truly felt like they had another child sometimes, and Alex often thought that Bailey was one of the best decisions she ever made for her family.

* * *

A/N: I love this story so much. It's so nice to break away from the other story sometimes and just write a little drabble.

Big thanks to my proofreader and her knowledge of dogs.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 9**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

First grade; the point where Emily began to identify herself as an independent six year old, and not the baby her parents wished she still was. With the help of her Mama, Emily's reading skills were taking off and it thrilled both parents. Each day the little girl came home from school, Piper and Alex got a play by play of her day and they constantly braced themselves because Emily wasn't afraid to give them a detailed report of who had puked during the day.

But there was one thing that both parents couldn't brace themselves enough for. When Emily had eagerly thrust a pink envelope with a birthday invitation inside towards her parents, both had figured it was the routine party; bring a gift to a child-friendly place such as the bowling alley or pizza parlor, but this particular invitation was for a sleepover.

Emily had never been to an actual sleepover meaning she left her parents for the night. Of course she had stayed at her grandma's house and Polly's while her parents had been away, but those were people she was comfortable with and had known her whole life. Staying at a classmate's house was much different. Those creature comforts weren't present and her parents weren't just down the hall if she needed them.

Alex had been ecstatic for her little girl. This sleepover would give Emily that first step towards independence and learning how to cope without her parents being beside her every step of the way. Emily talked about how excited she was all week until the day of the sleepover. The little girl had even packed her bag two nights before with a pair of pajamas, her baby doll that she had been attached to since she was a toddler, and her favorite blanket.

Piper on the other hand, had a tough and happy exterior for her daughter, but on the inside, she feared her daughter might have a rough night being away from home. She had been the parent that was having the most trouble letting go when new experiences came about for her child, but she also knew this was the only way her daughter would grow and develop as a human being.

Both parents, especially the blonde had been reassured time and time again by the hosts as they dropped their six year old off. The other three little girls had arrived at the same time, and Piper smiled as she saw her own child happily giggle and hug each of them.

Soon the other moms had left, and Alex found her and her wife were still in the home where the sleepover was being held. Emily had already given both of them hugs and kisses and had asked them to give Bailey another hug and kiss for her.

It took Alex almost dragging Piper out of the house to get her to leave.

"She's gonna be okay, Pipes." Alex linked her fingers across the center console of their sedan as they drove home. "She has our numbers memorized and she knows she can call _any time_."

…

Piper had barely touched her dinner that night, and constantly checked her phone to make sure she didn't miss any notifications. Bailey was curled up on her other side, his head laying in her lap. He had become her other baby and her running partner. He sensed she was missing her little girl.

"Babe, you want some ice cream?"

No response.

"Pipes…"

"What? I'm good, Al. Thanks." The corners of the blonde's lips curled up into a slight smile, then returned back to the television.

Alex giggled to herself and just as she was about to open the freezer, her phone began to ring and her mother's picture flashed upon the screen. The brunette could faintly hear her wife get off the couch and quickly pad into the kitchen, thinking it was the mother from the birthday party, but retreated back to the living room when her wife greeted her mother.

" _Hi, mom." Alex smiled at her wife as she watched her situate herself back on the couch. She could only imagine how Piper would be when their daughter went off to college._

" _Hi, baby girl. How was your week?"_

" _Good, they're thinking of expanding the restaurant into the vacant store next to us." The brunette could practically hear her mother smile over the phone at their conversation of her legal job. Diane had been so proud of Alex for how far she had come. It had hurt her so deeply to see her only child in prison, and sometimes she felt part of that was how she raised her daughter, but Alex was always quick to reassure her that it was her own mistakes that landed her where she was._

" _That's great, Al! They're not working you too much are they?" It seemed Diane asked this question each time they discussed Alex's manager position at her restaurant. Alex feared her mother thought that she would become engulfed in her work just as she did in the cartel, but now she had wife and child that she couldn't wait to get home to._

 _Diane had never seen her daughter so broken and distraught when Alex had crawled into bed with her at two in the morning, just having gotten off a flight from Paris after Piper had left her. Her heart ached not only for her daughter, but for Piper. She knew the pair was destined to be together, it was a mother's instinct. Just from how they looked at each other and constantly needed that physical touch from the other, anyone knew they were meant to be._

" _No, mom." Alex chortled. "I'm the owner…We basically set our own hours, plus we have two managers on floor at all times. Things are going great."_

 _Her restaurant had been open for fifteen years, and she had been the owner for six of those years. It had initially been owned by a middle-aged man, but he decided to hand the business over to Alex after watching her go from being a simple hostess after she got out of prison to manager in a matter of three years. There had been many times Alex was ready to quit due to how shitty being a hostess could be, but she stuck it out and was glad she did._

" _Good." Diane's tone was protective. "How did my famous lasagna go on the special this week?"_

" _It was awesome." Alex smiled, she loved incorporating her mother's recipes into her restaurant. She also liked cooking alongside her chef's instead of being a typical owner that just barked orders and shut themselves in their office. "So good it's being considered to be put on the menu permanently."_

 _Alex could only imagine the wide grin that was plastered across her mother's face._

 _The pair continued to talk for thirty more minutes until the conversation switched to Emily._

" _Can I talk to my grandbaby or is she already in bed?"_

" _Emily's at her first sleepover actually." Alex glanced at her wife who was sitting on the couch staring blankly at their flat-screen television, her phone sitting next to her_ _ **just**_ _in case her baby needed her._

" _Oh." Alex could hear her mother's smirk. "How exciting for my little Emily. I bet she was so excited."_

" _She was so excited, Mom. It's hard to believe she's six years old."_

" _I know, babe…How're you guys doing with such a quiet house?"_

" _It's a little too quiet for my taste, but your daughter-in-law on the other hand…"_

…

The invitation had asked that the girls be picked up before noon, and Piper was ready to go at eleven fifteen. Not even a full twenty-four hours without her baby, and she was practically chomping at the bit to go and pick her up. She was ready to hear all about the things they did and who fell asleep first, but she ultimately wanted to know if her daughter had made it through the sleepover okay considering this was her first sleepover.

The moment Piper touched the doorknob that lead into their garage, her phone rang. It was the mother of the little girl who was hosting the party. Automatically Piper's mind began to race as to what she could be calling for, but the second she answered, she was greeted with the voice of her excited six year old.

" _Hi, mommy! Can I stay a little bit longer? It's okay with Gracie's mom."_

 _The blonde could see her wife smirking at her out of the corner of her eye as she backed away from the door, sat her keys back down on the kitchen counter, and retreated back to her position on the couch, turning the television back on to whatever she was watching previously._

" _Hi, Em. Yeah, you can stay as long it's okay with Gracie's mom." Piper was relieved to hear her little one's voice, but at the same time, this "letting go" was starting to take a toll on her. It was hard for her to believe that her little girl was growing up so quickly. "Are you having fun?"_

" _Yeah, mommy! I'm having lots of fun, but I have to go. Gracie and I are gonna watch Beauty and the Beast. She got it for her birthday!"_

" _Okay, baby. Have fun…I love you."_

" _I love you too, mommy. Tell mama I love her too."_

" _Okay, baby, I will…Bye, sweetie."_

" _Bye, mommy!"_

 _And then the phone clicked._

* * *

A/N: *waves while I cringe in pain from this raging kidney infection


	10. Chapter 10

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 10**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

 _ **0000000000000000000000000000000**_

No parent ever wants to give their child away to a doctor for a procedure. No parent ever wants to rock their child to sleep as the anesthesiologist sedates them. No parent ever wants to see their child go through _any_ of that yet here Emily was seven years old growing even more nervous by the second as she sat on the couch while her parents ensured they'd grabbed everything they needed for the day.

After one too many cases of strep throat in a three month period along with her parents noticing she was breathing through her mouth more than usual, her pediatrician immediately decided that a tonsillectomy was in the little girls near future. The second the parents heard the plan, both of their hearts had dropped for their child and Emily had broken down in tears. Surgery was the last word any child wanted to hear, especially when it pertained to them.

"Mama, can we take Bailey?" Emily stroked the golden retriever's fur as he sat with his head in her lap. He could sense she was nervous.

"I don't think we can, babe." Alex looked up from where she was folding a blanket behind the couch. It was six in the morning and she hadn't slept more than a couple of hours due to being so apprehensive about Emily's surgery yet the exhaustion still hadn't hit her. "But I'm sure he'll be ready to give you all kinds of cuddles when we get home later."

Piper soon appeared from down the hallway, her tote bag hanging from her arm. She was clad in a basic pair of blue-jeans and an old Smith t-shirt, her hair thrown into a messy bun. She on the other hand was sure she hadn't slept at all. Piper was sure she had held her baby all night while after letting her six year old sleep in their bed due to her pre-surgery jitters.

"Are you ready, baby?" The blonde walked over to Emily, setting her bag on the couch next to her. Her heart ached for the little girl. There had been multiple times during the past few days that Emily had asked if she could just keep her tonsils or just not show up. The six year old didn't understand that getting her tonsils removed would help to not be sick as often.

The younger blonde shook her head clutching her favorite stuffed bear in her arms. There had been two weeks from the day the pediatrician scheduled her surgery to now and each day her anxiety grew worse. All she knew about surgery was that you lay on a bed and go to sleep without your parents in the room. The fact that Piper nor Alex would be with her the whole time was almost as terrifying as having a part of her body removed.

Piper looked up at her wife who was shaking her head with a small smirk. She had told Piper repeatedly that there was going to be resistance.

…

The amount of tears streaming down Emily's face was making Alex's stomach clench as she knelt at her daughter's side, essentially holding her down while the nurse attempted to insert her I.V. into dorsal side of her hand. As she looked up at her wife who was sitting behind her daughter with her arms wrapped around her, she found that she too had a small tear falling down her face as she whispered soothingly into her daughter's ear. There were three nurses now in the room compared to the original one due to there being trouble finding a good vein.

"Hey, Emily." The nurse cooed, trying to distract the little girl from the current situation. "Tell me about your puppy that you have at home. I heard you talking to your mommy about him."

"Tell her about Bailey, babe." Piper whispered into her daughter's ear, wiping away the tears that were still trailing down reddened face. She glanced over at Alex who's eyes were glued to the nurse, making sure she didn't cause her baby anymore stress than what she was already under. The blonde's nerves were shooting through the roof at how this experience was already going.

"He's big… and he plays dress up with me." Emily sobbed. "He likes to play with tennis balls, and…he likes to swim with me at my grandma's house."

"You like to swim?" The nurse's eyes went wide as she grinned. "I like to swim too."

"I get..."Emily breathed in as she tried to catch her breath from her violent gasps. "Lessons…and I don't have to wear my floaties anymore."

"You can swim all by yourself?" The nurse was now wrapping the tape around the now successful I.V., ensuring Emily didn't pull it out after they were through. "That's so awesome!"

"I get to start swimming in the deep soon." Emily's tone was somewhat lighter as she began to boast about her swimming skills.

"How exciting." The nurse stood up from her stool, much to the child's surprise. "We're all done. You did a great job, Emily."

The seven year old looked dubious as she looked from her arm to the nurse and back down again. Oblivious to both of her parents exhaling and slumping backwards.

…

Emily's sobs and cries had returned half an hour after her I.V. had been inserted. As Emily laid on the large hospital bed allowing Alex to hold her close and softly stroke her face to try and calm her down, she couldn't help but continuing working herself up as the clocked ticked by. The little girl's pediatrician had just come in and told them that they were twenty minutes away from starting surgery.

When the anesthesiologist came into have Piper fill out forms and educate her on what kind of anesthesia her little girl would be given, she had to force herself to keep it together. The blonde was sure her legs must have bounced up and down a million times as the time ticked down to the operation. The blonde woman knew she was overreacting to such a simple surgery that would take less than half an hour, but the day as a whole obliterated her nerves. She still thought of Emily as a baby and it broke her heart to know that her little girl was having to go through this.

"Pipes, can you pass me her water?" Alex broke Piper away from her thoughts as she motioned for the small cup of water that was on the small bedside table.

Piper watched as she handed the cup over and observed Alex hold the straw up to Emily's mouth. Despite how much Alex denied it, she also still thought of Emily as her baby. She practically gave the seven year old anything she wanted and if not, Emily just pouted her lips and gave her the puppy dog eyes. That was always a surefire way to get Alex to say yes to something and she had surely learned it from Piper.

A few minutes later when two of the nurses appeared to take Emily back, Piper had to use every ounce of self-control not to lose it. Instead she slowly stood up from her chair and walked to the side of her daughters bed who was now about to break out into a full on panic.

"Hey, you're gonna do great, okay?" The young mother smoothed her hand down Emily's face and bent down to her level. "Mama and I are gonna be right here when you wake up."

"You can even take your stuffed bear with you if you want? I'm sure we can find her her own hospital gown to wear so she can be just like you."

Alex raised her eyebrows in excitement in order to perhaps motivate her daughter to be brave since her bear could go with her too.

Emily could only nod in response as she reached for Piper.

Instantly Piper reached out for her daughter and wrapped her arms around her very tight.

"I love you." The mother pressed a kissed to her little one's cheek and then went back to hug her once more. Her heart was breaking a little more each second. She so badly wished the next hour would already be up. "You're so brave, babe. I love you _so_ much."

As Piper stood up from kissing her daughter's cheek once more, she had to remind herself to stay strong for her baby. She knew she was probably overreacting over a surgery that is done so many times a day, but that was her baby.

Alex quickly bent down to kiss Emily and tell her that both them would be there when she woke up, ready to serve her as much ice cream as she wished. The brunette could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're gonna be _just_ fine, baby."

The parents walked alongside Emily until they reached the double doors. At this point, the little girl's grasp was strong around her stuffed bear and the tears began to stream down her face.

"Love you." Emily's lips trembled as the nurses brought the bed to a halt one last time.

"We love you to, sweetie." Piper gathered every ounce of happiness she could to put on a brave smile for her little girl before dipping down to place a kiss to her forehead, Alex following suit soon after.

The moment the operating room door closed, both parents were relieved to not hear any screams or crying. Not a few seconds later Piper was slumped into Alex, her head buried into her shoulder. Alex was already counting down the minutes of this surgery so maybe Piper would ease up some.

"Forty-four minutes and counting." The tall woman whispered comfortingly into Piper's ear as she squeezed her wife a little tighter. "She's gonna be just fine."

Piper was the one who broke the hug, but quickly grasped Alex's hand and led her to the waiting room. Never once did Piper let go of Alex's hand. Not even after the doctor had come out of the operating room to say that Emily did fantastic. She didn't break the hand connection until her daughter was handed to her as she sat in a rocking chair in the recovery room.

When Alex was able to see her two girls cuddled close, she finally felt like she was able to breathe again.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

I uploaded a new chapter of For Better or For Worse yesterday, so go check that out if you so choose.

Happy Saturday!


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the wait!**

 **Flashbacks in** _Italics_ **.**

 _ **Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 11**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

 **Emily: Age 8**

"Mama?" Emily looked up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table working on her writing homework. The first day of third grade back in August had come in a whirlwind and now they were in late November getting ready for the holidays.

"Yeah, Em?" The raven-haired woman smiled as she put down the pen she was using to write the shopping list of items she would need for their Thanksgiving feast later on in the week.

"Did you know that the Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving?"

"I did not." Alex smirked. Social Studies was Emily's favorite subject, and the mother was sure that every week she got her own mini lesson over whatever historical event or person her daughter was learning about that week.

"And the Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast." The eight year old's head was tilted to the side, reminding Alex of another blonde who did the exact same thing when explaining something she was passionate about.

Just as Alex went to reply, her wife came in through garage door from work, a smile plastered on her face. "Hey guys, I picked up pizza on the way home from work."

"You know, I think mommy was at the first Thanksgiving feast."

"What?" Piper's small quickly dropped off her face as she set the pizza box on top of the kitchen counter.

"Mama says that you were at the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621." Emily's blue eyes were shining as she raised her eyebrows. "You've been to a lot of Thanksgivings, Mommy."

"Al." Piper narrowed her eyes as she lightly slapped her wife's forearm. The blonde tried to walk around her lover, but Alex stopped her and wrapped her arms around her slender frame instead.

"I'm just playing around." The brunette planted a kiss to the side of her wife's neck before turning to grab plates out of the cabinet.

"What are you working on, babe?" Piper leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her child's crown before pulling out a chair and sitting down.

"I'm writing a paragraph on what I'm most thankful for." Emily looked up at Piper before continuing her writing. "And Mama hasn't even helped me."

"I see. Want to read me what you have so far?"

Emily nodded.

"I have many things to be thankful for. One of them is my family. My mommy, my mama, my grandma Diane, and my dog Bailey. Family is important and we need them. If we didn't have family, then we would not have a big Thanksgiving feast like the pilgrims and Indians. Families are important because without them we wouldn't have hugs. My favorite thing about my family is that they love me and my dog since we were babies."

"That was _so_ _good_ , Em." Piper couldn't help but wrap her arms around her daughter and bring her in close.

"This will be my eighth Thanksgiving and Grandma Diane is letting me help her with the turkey this year."

"Please don't say that." Alex groaned as she set a plate in front of her wife and little one.

Piper could only giggle as she watched her wife sit down and take a bite of her slice of pizza.

"Do you remember her first Thanksgiving? She was so tiny."

"Yeah, two week old baby, new parents, and no sleep." Alex deadpanned while Emily just giggled from where she sat across from her.

" _Is she okay?" Alex's raspy voice drifted from where she was slumped against the headboard. "I'm sorry, I feel asleep."_

" _She's okay." Piper adjusted her newborn higher up on her chest as she gently pulled the sheet up over her torso after nursing Emily._

" _Do you want me to change her?" The brunette reached across the mattress and ran the backs of her knuckles down Emily's naked back. The newborns pediatrician harped on the new parents that for the first three weeks it should be topless mommy and diaper clad baby._

" _Yeah." The younger woman gently raised Emily up off her chest and handed her to her wife. The newborn made a few small grunting noises before her little limbs started to flail. Everything about her was so tiny. Her diaper was tiny. Her nose was tiny. Her mouth was tiny. Her eyes were tiny. But everything was perfect to her parents._

 _Alex was sure she'd seen her wife cry at least twice during the past two weeks, but she knew that it was from the hormones and lack of sleep. Diane had left a week ago and the parents were still trying to figure out the whole parenting routine. Diane had called twice a day since she left, but a part of them was relieved because she would be back tomorrow for Thanksgiving._

" _Where's her pacifier?" The brunette gently laid Emily out in front of her and grabbed a new diaper. She could tell that the wails were coming as Emily's flailing started to grow more erratic._

" _Right here." Piper slowly leaned over and inserted the soothing item. "We're gonna have to get up soon and start cooking. It's four thirty."_

" _I say we just order Chinese from that little whole in the wall place that seems to be open twenty four seven and call it a day. We've maybe gotten two hours of sleep tonight." Alex gently attached the tabs to the front of Emily's diaper before transferring her back to Piper._

" _Alex your mother's coming as well as your boss and his family. We need to make an attempt to look like we have actually slept and actually put real clothes on our child."_

" _Piper, they know we've had a baby. I doubt they're expecting a five course meal in a mansion."_

" _It's just our first Thanksgiving as a family of three, Al. I want it to be memorable."_

" _It will be." Alex simply smiled and pressed her lips to Piper's shoulder while gently cupping the back of their daughters head._

Emily was now slumped over, fast asleep, in between her parents on the couch with her photo album that covered her first year sprawled across her lap. One of the very first photos she came across in the album was one of her very first Thanksgiving. She was dressed in a brown long-sleeved onesie that said it was her first thanksgiving. Around the onesie was an orange tutu that matched a simple bow atop her head.

In the picture, the newborn's parents looked like they hadn't slept at all, yet that had a full feast on the table behind them and a sleeping baby in their arms. They looked as happy as could be with their daughter in their arms.

* * *

I can definitely tell I haven't wrote in a while. I've had this in my unfinished folder since last Thanksgiving, so what better time to finish and post it with the upcoming holiday.

Happy Holidays.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Blissful Moments**_

 _ **Chapter 12**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

 _ **Emily: Age 9**_

It had been awhile since Alex and Piper had heard the high pitched giggles followed by the distinct slap of hands and knees as they moved across the floor. The diapers, the tiny outfits, the toys that basically ended your life when you stepped on them. They had gotten rid of all that six years ago and planned to never have them around their house again. But all of that changed when they got stuck with a ten month old Finn while Polly and Pete went on a ten day cruise that they had won in a drawing at the Popi Christmas party. Piper had automatically chimed in that she thought the drawing was rigged and that the next year, she deserved to have her name put in the hat twice.

"Emily, remember to be gentle, please." Piper looked up from where she was sitting on the floor spreading out their Christmas skirt underneath their tree. Emily was standing up while helping Finn to do the same as she held on to both his hands and gently "danced" with him around their spacious living room.

It was interesting for both of Emily's parents to see how she interacted with a little one around the house considering she was an only child. From the time Polly had revealed she was pregnant at their Popi mother's day sale in May of last year, Emily had become a very curious and protective cousin towards the unborn baby.

The whole nine months Polly was pregnant, each time the eight, now nine year old saw her, it was nonstop questions about the baby and asking to feel her aunt's belly. It had caused a moment of second thoughts on having a second baby for Piper and Alex as they witnessed their daughter become so attached to the gestating mother and eventually the little boy. Quite frankly, Emily's parents had quickly come back to the conclusion that they were content with their one. There had been the times they had tried for a second baby, and thoughts on adoption, but now they were nine years older, and the risks were much higher. They were content with their one little girl.

"Mommy, Finn's just gonna mess the skirt up again after you get up." Emily wasn't wrong. Piper had got down on her knees to fix it countless times the past three days Finn had been visiting. She had already removed the bottom foot of ornaments off the tree because of small grabby hands, so she decided to fold up the skirt as well.

"Good call, babe." Piper smiled as she slowly got up from the hard wood floor, cringing at the sound of her knees cracking. Alex was calling her from their bedroom. "Em, can you watch him for a second, please?"

"Mhmm." Emily didn't even look up from where she was now sitting on the living room rug watching Finn attempt to crawl over Bailey. The dog was unbothered by it all.

"Yeah, Al?" Piper walked into the master suite and didn't find her wife until she walked further into the room and saw her in the bathroom. Instantly as soon as she was close enough, the blonde's hands went to grab at her wife's waist, pulling her in close.

"His bath's ready." Alex was glowing, just as she did eight years ago when she had a child that was ten months old. Throughout the past three days, it had been Alex who was more proactive and on top of things. Not to say Piper wasn't involved, but it was taking her longer to get back into the swing of having a baby around her house again. Finn was a good sleeper, but getting him to sleep was another story.

"You like having a baby around here again don't you?" The younger woman pulled her lover impossibly closer to her. As she looked up at her wife, she noticed the faint wrinkles that were forming on each side of her eyes and the few stray gray hairs atop her head, but she still saw that young, dauntless woman the very first time they met. The same woman that she saw through years apart, prison, and eventually, years of marriage and starting a family. Alex was still that fearsome, sarcastic woman that she had loved since the very beginning in that grungy bar.

Alex could only blush and look away, mumbling something incoherent to Piper.

"What?" The blonde giggled cupping her wife's face to make her look at her.

"It makes me feel old. Our baby is nine years old."

"It's definitely been awhile." Piper smiled. Before she could say anything else the tell-tale signs of Finn were growing louder as he crawled into the bedroom with Emily hot on his trail.

"Having fun, babe?" Alex released herself from her wife's hold and bent down to pick up a t-shirt and diaper clad Finn from the floor. "Hey, little man."

Finn flashed a toothy grin and giggled up at Alex.

Surprisingly, jealousy had been a small issue with Finn being in the house for an extended stay, but the parent's simply rolled with it and worked hard to ensure that Emily got the attention she needed.

"He doesn't like to play Barbie's. He just eats them." Emily instantly went to stand next to Alex as she laid the baby on the bed to undress him. She had been his protector the past three days. She never let him out of her sight. It was a blessing and a nuisance at the same time for the girl's parents. Some moments Emily was so entranced by the baby that she wouldn't eat or finish her homework, but it also gave the parents a break to get some things done without a nine year old asking questions about every little thing.

"So you wouldn't want a baby around the house all the time then? Is that what you're saying?" Piper followed the trio into the bathroom and grabbed the bath supplies out of the diaper bag on the counter.

"No." Emily adamantly shook her head. "Bailey already takes my food when I'm not looking. There's no telling what a _baby_ would do."

Both parents couldn't help but laugh out loud at their daughter's confession.

"I'm just okay with babysitting." Emily nodded, kneeling down next to Alex as she handed a bath toy to a splashing Finn. "I kind of think he should go to Grandma Diane's for a few days so I can have my afternoons back."

It took everything Alex had not to burst out in laughter. Their daughter was a spitfire, an exact replica of Piper. She took everything in and paid attention to every little detail. She made Piper and Alex's life an adventure, and she surprised them with something new every single day.

She was their one and only child and they were content with that.

* * *

A/N: Just another chapter I had in my unfinished folder.

Safe travels to anyone who's traveling for Thanksgiving.


End file.
